The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Review

IMDB Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

actual rating 6.25.

this is slightly higher than the 6 i would give the second raimi spider-man movie, which is the best of that first bunch.

garfield supplies us with too much acting and emoting, as he did in 'never let me go.' he is capable, but needs to be reined in, as he was in 'the social network.' he's too fidgety, too dewy-eyed and too angry, though likely he was directed this way. fine, but not as naturally likable as was toby maguire in this same role not too long ago.

contrarily, the spider-man stuff is significantly better handled than in the other movies. it's nice to see that the guy running around in the suit...is a guy running around in a suit, not a weightless computer generated creation that has no personality. and when it is computer generated (which doesn't seem often), it meshes very well with the actual performer. the quipping/smart remarks during the fights work better than i would have expected and there are some smart moments--- the making of the motion sensitive web and the collusion of the crane operators are both pretty sharp ideas that are well presented. although the reversion of peter parker's web shooters to their original idea is different (and in line with the comic) it actually makes less sense in a movie that is trying deal more with the genetic side of parker's abilities. maybe this was done to differentiate it more from the raimi film?

like many people, after countless versions of the origin--- in comics (the original, ultimate s-m) in the previous raimi movie and also on stage, i am tied of the origin story and wish the filmmakers eschewed giving it to us again. still, a fine comic book movie.

Gungrave (2003) Review

IMDB Review: Gungrave (2003)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

no detailed plot spoilers, but a general discussion of the progression of the series.

gungrave works best when it is a moody crime drama, somewhat along the the lines of michael mann's 80s series crime story. the speculative fiction aspect--- the org men--- seems like an idea shoved into this crime world to make it conform to the video game and more like something for kids who like bleach. the "science fiction" element never fits comfortably with these characters and unfortunately distorts them into laughing evil cliché, injuring the dramatic integrity of the world.

overall, gungrave is somewhat like a mix of berserk (which also begins obliquely) and hellsing, but not nearly as well written and psychologically compelling as the earlier and nowhere near as fun as the latter.

bear walkin is a cool supporting character and the friendship of brandon and harry is enough to keep me engaged for most of the earlier episodes, but the action is badly directed and sloppy, which is unusual for a madhouse anime, since they are the most consistently excellent anime studio ever (eg. shigurui, x (tv series), death note, etc.).

another negative observation is that the violence seems very toned down from what it should have been-- like the pg version of something that should have been a rough hard R (see berserk and shigurui).

i'm surprised at the high rating--- this show succeeds somewhat as a moody crime drama, but really loses its way with poorly handled action (with three exceptions) and laughing "evil."

Prometheus (2012) Review

IMDB Review: Prometheus (2012)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

like sunshine, prometheus is a true sci-fi picture that turns into a below average horror movie. fassbender was really, really great, but the picture features many career-worst performances, such as the weakest work i've ever seen by theron and elba. this isn't a surprise, given the director--- harrison ford has never been worse than he was in blade runner.

i still don't understand what the opening scene meant--- why the thing altered it's dna and killed itself. or how exactly elba knew that it was a weapons depot. this seemed like a throw in to explain missing stuff to the audience. 

additionally, the tie-in to the alien franchise is unneeded--- those are horror/action movies and have almost no science.

and the amount of dumb science was truly incredible. 

1. "hmm. we are in an alien environment. let's sends balls of brilliant red lightning ahead of us--- that couldn't ever be construed as hostile, could it?" i bet ridley said, "cause it looks cool." 2. even more idiotic is the removal of helmets when the adjacent environment is toxic. they hit one air vent and they're all dead. 3. and then, after people are infected, they return...and remove their helmets again. yikes. scientists shouldn't be dumber that the dumbest person in the audience, but here they are. 4. and from what matter/energy source could the octo-alien increase its size by over 100 times in just a day? how did this 5 pound creature generate the body mass to become a thousand pound creature while stuck in a sterile lab? i bet ridley said, "cause it looks cool." 5. and more bad science is how a massively advanced ship would be destroyed by a lame human craft scuttling it. that ship would obviously have something to deal with matter in space that travels at far higher speeds than this slow human ship. 6. and even more bad science is the ergonomically awful "future" ship that requires the pilot to pick up a recorder and use two hands and a mouth to activate something and later move his hands across vast spaces to pilot the ship. this is like putting a turn signal in the back seat and the ignition on the hood.

overall, there were some striking images--- especially the resuscitated alien's head and the c-section sequence--- but it seems like prometheus was a three hour movie that the studio shortened by an hour to make more exciting, because lots of scenes were really rushed and none of the characters--- except fassbender's--- were at all developed.

Martial Outlaw (1993) Review

IMDB Review: Martial Outlaw (1993)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

(...though yes, Wincott is Canadian).

Martial Outlaw, a title which has no real bearing on the movie, is more psychologically compelling than most direct to video fare and more morally complex. But really, a martial arts movie is mainly about the fights and it is rare to see an American movie with fights and stunts that are as well staged and fluid as those in Hong Kong movies.

And any movie that has this much fighting and isn't a tournament movie is extra appreciated!

Overall, Martial Outlaw (amazingly) compares to things like Donnie Yen's Flashpoint & Jackie Chan's Police Story II & Yuen Biao's Righting Wrongs. And unlike most American movies that attempt this level of choreography, the fights are not sped up cartoons like in Isaac Florentine's movies (Undisputed II & III & Ninja & Special Forces) or Drive (with Dacascos) or Cynthia Rothrock. Sorry IMDb "martial arts" fans, Martial Outlaw kicks (and backhands) the crap out of that sped up nonsense.

As a fighter, Wincott is great and believable. Compares to brutal but elegant badass Richard Norton and is far above guys like Don "the slow and wooden" Dragon (despite his real life awards).

Overall, Martial Outlaw delivers a lot great and aggressive fights and some solid stunts, and the script has some actual depth. Let it be said that nobody delivers a closed-fist backhand like Mr. Wincott. Bravo!

Ninja (2009) Review

IMDB Review: Ninja (2009)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

this is a warning to fight film fans who are looking for good martial arts. adkins is very talented...but (as in undisputed II and {dacascos} drive), most of the fights are sped up or slowed down.

there are about 2 good minutes of fighting towards the end when he is attacked by a crew of dudes in the evil group. otherwise, the ego/stylistic hijinks of isaac florentine get in the way of the real time delivery of choreography (or cover up things that weren't actually working on the set). and lots of bad looking cg gore only adds to the overall feeling that this piece is trying to be like big budget Hollywood, which is not an admirable attempt either. other than a few blood capsules, it looks like none of the actors stained their clothes making this picture-- almost all of the bloodletting is a digital add on.

i'm still waiting for adkins to get his own stellar showcase piece like michael jai white's 'blood and bone' and donnie yen's 'ip man' & 'flash point' or jeff wincott in 'martial outlaw.' whenever that gets made, it won't be directed by speed 'em up florentine.